The Chicago Bears were blown out by the Green Bay Packers in the second half of Sunday night’s game, where there was plenty of blame to go around, staring with head coach Matt Nagy.
There were several questionable decisions that left fans frustrated and done with Nagy, especially given he had nothing to lose with his team sitting at 4-8 and his fate all but sealed in Chicago.
When Nagy met with the media on Monday, he was asked about his decision to punt on 4th-and-inches with his team down 11 points in the fourth quarter. Essentially, Nagy admitted that he made a mistake in not going for it.
“You wish you would’ve went for it,” Nagy said. That’s the part where you look back as a coach and go, ‘Damn, that would’ve been a time to do that.'”
Matt Nagy admitted today that he should have gone for it on 4th-and-inches in the fourth quarter with his team down 11 points:
"You wish you would’ve went for it. That’s the part where you look back as a coach and you go, 'Damn, that would’ve been a time to do that.'"
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 13, 2021
He’s not wrong. And at least he admitted that he should’ve gone for it. But the biggest question is: Why didn’t he go for it then?
The Packers dominated the Bears in the second half, and yet Chicago was still in the game in the fourth quarter. If there was a time to be bold, it was that 4th-and-inches moment, where surely Nagy had a play that could give his team the first down in hopes to keep their drive going. And yet, he chose to play it safe. When the only thing waiting for him was another loss to the Packers.
While one of the biggest gripes with Nagy in his tenure has been the offense’s struggles, it’s also been his inability to make decisions as the head coach that benefit his team.
Case in point, opting not to go for it on 4th-and-inches down 11 points or kicking a field goal down 18 points, both in the fourth quarter.
This game perfectly summed up Nagy’s tenure in Chicago — the early excitement, the failure to make adjustments, the offense’s second-half struggles and being out-coached by the competition.
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